In recent years, three-dimensional data making of the device design is advanced, and when an operability such as convenience and the usability of the device wherein it is designing or design ends is verified, the verification on a virtual space is done. That is, the operability of the device is verified by displaying the image of three dimension model of the device on a display screen of computers and the like. Because the size of the device on the virtual space (size of the image of three dimension model on the display screen) is different from an actual size of the device, it tries to make the operator recognize the feeling of the device by displaying the size on the numerical value and the scale in the image of the device on the display screen generally so far.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a state where an operator is verifying the operability of the equipment on a virtual space. FIG. 2 is a view showing a display image in a monitor.
Here, a monitor 12 for the image display is put on a desk 11 as shown in FIG. 1, and the operability of the equipment displayed in the monitor is being verified by an operator 1.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the display image on the monitor 12 at that. Here, an ATM is assumed as an equipment to be verified. Size d of an actual ATM is written in the display image shown in FIG. 2, so that those who operate it see size d written in the display image, ideally imagine the size of the ATM, and imagine the operability where the arm is extended, for instance.
However, according to such a verification method, there is a need for an operator to grasp the distance feeling and the scale feeling depending on only ideal information like the numerical value and the scale, and thus such a verification method is an insufficient verification method in the point that the operator experiences the operability of the equipment.
As a verification method by which the operability of the equipment can be experienced, there is known a method of using a so-called virtual reality that the technique of the motion capture that detects the operator's operation is adopted, to make a model to imitate the human body on a virtual space (on the display screen) appear, and to make the model imitate the movement of the operator detected by the motion capture, thereby performing verification while seeing a positional relation between the image of the device on the display screen and the image of the human body model image. According to this verification method, an operator's model appears in a virtual space, and the same movement as operator's movement is made, so that the operator can experience the operability of the equipment. This verification method is often adopted for the operability verification of the product.
However, to adopt such a verification method, there is a need to use special equipment as the motion capture that detects the operator's operation. Such special equipment is very expensive, and it needs a large occupation space when using it. Thus, this involves a problem that the operability verification is not easily performed.
Japanese Patent Document 1: TokuKaiHei.6-348791 proposes a method in which a model on a real space to imitate an operation section of equipment is prepared, and the movement of an operator's finger when the operator operates the model is detected, and informs an operability evaluation device of the detected movement, so that the operability of the model of the equipment in the virtual space constructed in the operability evaluation device is evaluated.
However, according to the method of Japanese Patent Document 1, there is a need to install in an operator's finger a sensor for detecting the movement of the finger, and it belongs to the above-mentioned motion capture, and it is the motion capture of a simple version. Therefore, the equipment to be evaluated in operability will be limited.
Japanese Patent Document 2: TokuKaiHei.7-110804 proposes a technique of evaluating operability for various types of users in such a manner that an operation section of the equipment is displayed on a display screen, and it is displayed with changing a red lamp to a green lamp assuming that it is operated by the user of color blindness, or it is displayed with making the position of the operation button right and left opposite, assuming that it is operated by a left-handedness user.
The evaluating method of Japanese Patent Document 2 has an effective point in the evaluation when only the operation section is taken out. However, according to the evaluating method of Japanese Patent Document 2, the operation section is simply displayed by various variations, and it is difficult to experience operability, and the operability is greatly different depending on an arrangement position of the operation section in the entire equipment. Thus, the evaluating method of Japanese Patent Document 2 is not suitable for the evaluation in this respect.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an operability verification method and an operability verification apparatus that need not adopt special input device, and can experience operability of equipment easily and at a low price.